Once again this year the sea surface temperature anomalies of the Tropical Atlantic are much warmer. During the 2023 hurricane season we had warm waters along with el Niño conditions combined with the very warm waters. We saw a very active season then.

This year, all signals are pointing to a transition to la Niña, This pattern typically means lighter winds in the Tropical Atlantic which leads to more favorable conditions because of less wind shear. When you combine this with warm SST, the ideal conditions are starting to form in the Atlantic basin. For this reason, Colorado State put out a ominous forecast for the upcoming season. The forecast includes 23 named storms, 11 of those becoming hurricanes, and 5 of those becoming major hurricanes. If these numbers come to fruition, it will be an extremely active season.

The numbers do not tell us where the storms may end up going, but if we have more storms, the chances increase that one will eventually affect us. The names for the upcoming season are as follows:

The hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th. Be sure to have a plan for you and your family. Know if you are in an evacuation zone and have a hurricane supply kit.